hinhdepz7

WiM is launching a new campus chapter this week at Purdue University College of Technology at Anderson.  See our press release below about the kickoff event scheduled for tomorrow afternoon ! Women in Manufacturing™ Launches Campus Chapter at Purdue University College of Technology at Anderson CLEVELAND, OH —Women in Manufacturing™ (WiM) is pleased to announce the launch of a campus chapter at Purdue University College of Technology at Anderson (IN). This new chapter will host a kickoff luncheon on Tuesday, March 27, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at Purdue University College of Technology Anderson, Commons Area – First Floor, 2705 Enterprise Drive, Anderson, IN.  This event will celebrate the first joint chapter meeting between Women in Manufacturing™ and Purdue Anderson College of Technology with lunch, guest speakers and networking opportunities. WiM – Purdue Anderson is directed by Lorri Barnett, a continuing lecturer of technology leadership and innovation at the university.  Ms. Barnet

A long article was published today by the Financial Post: " Conventional image of ‘dirty’ manufacturing scaring away critical talent pool of smart, skilled women ." The piece by Dan Ovsey is definitely worth a read. Our own WiM director Allison Grealis sets the tone in the opening paragraphs.  "I think the biggest challenge we face is that many women don’t feel that manufacturing is a fit for them, because I don’t think they understand what manufacturing is," she is quoted as saying. "They still, unfortunately, perceive manufacturing as dark and dingy, dirty, dead-end careers, and not a pleasant place to be." Much of the article's data content won't be a surprise to our readers because we've shared many of the same troubling statistics about women in STEM here.  But the real meat of the piece can be found in the compelling case studies of real women who have made careers in manufacturing. Read the full article for testimony from Zoe Slumkoski

Update: You can watch the livestream of the event mentioned below -  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/18/filling-the-skills-gap-in_n_4985617.html ----------------------- "One untapped resource to address the problem remains in plain view: women are increasingly outperforming men in acquiring advanced skills, but are under-represented in both the manufacturing workforce and in the specialized S.T.E.M. fields most in demand in today's industrial economy." This from a new article published in the Huffington Post this week by Thomas Duesterberg, executive director of the manufacturing and society program at the Aspen Institute, an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. The article includes lots of data we've written about on our blog before: Women outpacing men in attaining degrees, women underperforming in the manufacturing sector and in STEM fields, etc. But it also includes some stats that are new to us - Duesterberg writes about re

We are thrilled to report that we've launched our first community chapter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin! Special thanks to Maddie Hayes and Amanda Lalley of Waukesha® Metal Products, and Madeleine Bucheger of AFC America Ltd. for their leadership roles in establishing the chapter! The group will hold its kickoff event on March 26 in downtown Milwaukee. Get event details and register  to attend this networking reception. WiM community chapters are designed to bring together women in their local areas, allowing them to develop new contacts, participate in networking events and become an advocate for women in the manufacturing industry—all while simultaneously learning about business development and job opportunities in their communities. Are you interested in starting a community in your area?   Community chapters should typically meet bimonthly and meetings range in subject matter based on the interests of members. Each community is pioneered and run by a WiM member. Please contact  Krist

Good news - The  Winter 2014 edition  of Women in Manufacturing's IMPACT e-newsletter is now available! Check it out for a preliminary overview of the 2014 SUMMIT, a WiM member's effort to educate a local Girl Scouts troop about manufacturing, features on many exciting upcoming WiM-related events and more.  Get it all here . Do you have news for our newsletter?  We'd love to share information in future editions of IMPACT about your local efforts to educate young women about careers in manufacturing, your professional achievements, or any other news that would be of interest to women in the industry. If you have news to share, please e-mail it to  Christie Carmigiano  for possible publication in an upcoming issue.

We've all heard it - the other b-word -   bossy . Maybe a little girl raises her hand frequently in class, or perhaps she organizes the play of her friends, or even suggests her own name for a coveted opportunity.  When she does these things, she's running the risk of being called that dreaded b-word - bossy . When we allow little girls to be assigned negative words like bossy , we're essentially telling them not to be leaders.  We're saying that we should not stand up or take charge. And these words really matter.  Did you know that, by middle school, girls are less interested in leading their peers than boys are?  This is a devastating trend that continues into adulthood and keeps women out of leadership roles. In our previous blog post (see below), we wrote about a efforts by LeanIn and the Girl Scouts to ban that b-word.  Joined by other partners, the campaign is really booming (no surprise!) and we are thrilled. Check out the website and learn how you can do your p

Today is International Women's Day and everyone is celebrating.  Even Google is in on the action.  Check out the Google Doodle today  - The accompanying video includes footage of 100 different women from around the world.  Some of the famous faces are education crusader Malala Yousafzai, businesswoman and charity worker Camila Batmanghelidjh, and the President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė. International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900s.  The first National Woman's Day in the U.S. was observed in February of 1909.  The day provides us an opportunity to think about the role of women in our world today. An essay in today's Wall Street Journal reminds us that too often girls are deterred from reaching their full potential.  Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and the founder of LeanIn.Org, and Anna Maria Chávez, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA, wrote that girls and women who are motivated, assertive and opinionated are often criticized for being "

FABTECH Canada will take place in a few weeks and Women in Manufacturing will take center stage on the opening day. Jessi Combs Here's a press release from FABTECH Canada   about a discussion on diversity in the manufacturing sector scheduled for Tuesday, March 18 at 8:30 AM.  The discussion will kick off with a keynote presentation by popular TV personality, metal fabricator and race car driver Jessi Combs.  Next up, a panel discussion moderated by our own Allison Grealis, director of WiM. Read the following release for more.    Look to Women to Help Tackle Manufacturing Workforce Shortage, FABTECH Canada Panel to Propose Diversity-focused panel discussion to kick off three-day conference on key issues facing manufacturers today Toronto, Ontario – January 31, 2014 – Recruiting qualified employees in the face of a declining workforce is a top problem facing today’s manufacturers. And solving it will require taking concrete steps to narrow the gender gap, say industry experts as the

At WiM, we often get questions about who our members are and what they do.  Instead of boring you with a bunch of facts and stats, we thought we'd whip up a little infographic to share. Check it out - And you can see a bigger version on our website .